Device for controlling coinoperated machines



Dec.v 22, 1936. B. E. MILLS 2,065,193

DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING COIN OPERATED MACHINES Dec. 22, 1936. B. E. MlLLs 2,065,193

Y DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING COIN OPERATED MACHINES Filed July 15, 1933 3 sheets-Sheet 2 mummmumumu B. E. MlLLs 2,065,193

DEVICE' FOR CONTROLLING 'COIN OPERATED MACHINES Dec. 22, 1936.

s snets-sheet s Filed July 15, 193s Zzm @erf 6. z @WOA )l Patented Dec. 22, 1936 UNITED STATES DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING COIN- OPERATED MACHINES Bert E. Mills;v Oak Park, Ill., assignor to Mills Novelty Company, Chicago, Ill., a. corporation of Illinois Application July 15, 1933, Serial No. 680,612

6 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for actuating coin-controlled machines and has for one of its objects the provision of a generally improved device suitable for operating pin ball games and like machines, a particular feature of the invention being the provision of means whereby it is made impossible for the player to operate the machine more than once, or a predetermined number of times, for each coin inserted.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device adapted to operate in such manner that two plays, or machine operations, can be obtained for a singleycoin.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device having the latter feature which is so constructed that it can be readily adapted to permit but one play, or machine operation, for a single coin, if this arrangement should be preferred by the proprietor of the machine.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a device in which my invention is embodied, the same being shown installed upon a machine which is but fragmentarily illustrated;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, one of the actuated members being shown in one position in xlilll lines and in two other positions in dotted Figs. 3 and dare bottom plan views of the device, showing the parts in diiferent positions;

Fig. 5'is a detail view of the wire by which certain parts of the device may be locked to provide for single play operation; and

Fig. 6 isa plan view, partially broken away and shown somewhat diagrammatically, of a pin board game with the device of my invention installed thereon.

Upon said drawings which illustrate the best manner in which I have thus far contemplated applying the principles of the invention, the reference character II indicates a slide having an opening I2 therein to receive a coin, said slide being mounted in a guide I3 extending through a wall I4 of the machine on which it is mounted, the opening I5 through said wall being covered by a circular flanged disk I6 mounted on the guide I3, the latter having a bracket I1 secured thereto by a screw I8 and said bracket having a shelf portion I9 protruding forwardly from the disk I 6 and serving as a support for the Vguide member I2.

The slide II has an upturned finger piece 2| at its outer end and is slotted, as indicated at 22, to receive a pin 23 protruding upwardly from a bottom plate 24 of the guide I3.` Said pin serves to limit the range of movement of the slide in manner which will be apparent.

A bracket 25 protrudes laterally from the forward end of said guide member I3 and carries an angle plate 2B attached to the wall Ill by means of screws 27.

Adetent 28, pivoted at 29 to a frame part-3l is provided above the slide and behind the disk I6, said detent being normally urged downwardly by a spring 32 secured at one end to a lug 33 on said detent and at the other end to a pin 34 on the top of the guide member I3. The forward end of the detent extends through a slot 35"'in the top of said guide member and is adapted to enter the coin opening I2 in the slide to obmounted above the forward end of the slide II and would be held in the'slide at the end of the forward stroke, returning therewith on the back stroke and thereby preventing operation of the machine in manner which will hereinafter appear.

The slide II carries at its forward end a bar 3l which has ratchet teeth 38 in the side thereof cooperating with a dog 39 pivoted at il to a frame part 42 to'prevent retraction of the slide after it has advanced beyond Ia'certain point until it has reached the forward end of its stroke. A spring 43, secured at one end to a tail part on the dog 39 'and at the other end to a lug 4t on the frame part 42, serves to urge said dog toward centered position.

'Ihe bar 31 at its forward end carries a pin or post d5 on the top of which there is a plate 46 held in place by a screw 47. A spring 48 connects said plate with a fixed post 49 on the frame and tends to draw the slide toward' its rearward position.

The post 45 is so positioned that on forward movement of the bar 31 said post engages and operates certain parts of the machine to be controlled. In the particular adaptation of the invention shown in the drawings, said parts comprise a sliding board 5| of a pin game machine, generally indicated by the reference numeral 52 shown in Fig. 6; also a lug 53 depending from a bar 54 which is pivoted at 55 to the frame of end to a depending lug 62 on said board-and at the other end to a frame member 63, in a position in which the openings 56 in said board are out of registration with the openings 51 in the board 58. Upon forward movement of the actuating bar 31 the post 45 thereon engages the forward end of said board 5I and pushes the latter rearwardly against the tension of the spring 6I until the openings 56 are brought into registration with the openings 51 in the board 58, at which time the balls drop through the aligned openings onto a slanting board 64 and roll into a trough 65 at the forward end of the machine. Said trough slopes toward the side of the machine on which the balls are shown in Fig. 6 but said balls are obstructed by the forward end of a bar 61 which is positioned in said trough 65 and are thereby prevented from dropping to a. position from which they may be lifted by an elevating device68 to the playing position from which they are in turn projected by a plunger (not shown) onto the table 58. A spring 69 connects the rear end of the bar 61 with an eye 1I on the interior of the front wall 12 of the table 52 and tends to draw the forward end 66 of said bar 61 out of the trough 65. The bar 61 however is attached to the bar 54, at 13, and before the release of the balls from the board 58 said bar 54 has been moved to the position shown in Fig. 6 through the action of the coin slide, as will be apparent from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. When the lug 53 on said bar 54 has been advanced to the dotted line position shown at the left in Fig. 2, a pivoted lever 14, which normally bears against theside of said lug, as shown in Fig.v 1, is moved to the position shown in Fig. 2, this movement n being accomplished by means of a spring 15 (see Figs. 3 and 4) connected at one end to a lug\ 16 inthe under side of said leverl and at the other end to a fixed member 11 on the frame. Said lever 14 is pivoted at 18 to the under side. of the n guide member I3. y

when the slide reaches the fun forward "endof its stroke the coin will drop from the opening I2 in said slide into a carriage 19 positioned lie-v neath the forward end of the slide and will be drawn rearwardly on the return stroke of the slide by' means of a pin 8| on the under side of i the bar 31. The coin which is indicated in Fig. 3 by the reference numeral 89, is thereby caused to engage a ange 82 on a tail part 83 of the.

lever 14 thereby moving said lever to the position shown in Fig. 3 and permitting the bar 54 with its lug 53 to be returned to the position shown `in Fig. 1, this being the full line position shown in Fig. 2. This movement is caused by the spring 69 (see Fig. 6) and results in withdrawing the bar 66 from the trough 95 allowing the to drop into position for iuse.

The coin after passing the flange 82 on the lever 14 drops from the carriage 19 and. is d lrected by a chute 84, formed on the member I1, to a coin receptacle (not shown).

'I'he device may be adapted to give either one or two plays. or machine operations, for one coin.

For the purpose of providing for two-for-one operation, I employ a lever 92 pivoted at 90 to the frame and having a lateral projection 9| at its forward end adapted to enter beneath the dog or detent 28 when said lever is turned in counterclockwise direction on its pivot by means of a spring 93 secured at one end to the forward part of said lever and at the other end to the frame. The opposite end of said lever carries a lmember 94 pivoted for limited movement on said member 92, said member having a cam part 95 at its end, the lever being normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2 by means of an upwardly extending lug IOI -carried by the member 14 enballs 59 gaging a vertical portion |92 of said lever 92,

a spring 91 connecting said member 94 and said lever 92 being provided to yieldingly pull said member in counterclockwise direction (viewing Fig. 2). When said member is moved outwardly by the coin 98 as shown in Fig. 3, said lug 'IUI is moved forwardly sufficiently to clear said vertical part |92 allowing said member 92 to be rotated by the spring 93 in counterclockwise direction, causing the projection 9| to move under the dogl 28 in manner which will be apparent from viewing Figs. 1 and 2. The slide may now be pushed forwardfa second 'time to cause a second operation' of the machine without inserting another coin. On this stroke, however, a pin 96 on the bar 31 will engage the cam part 95 on the dog 94 carried by the lever 92 and revolve the same back to the rest position shown in Fig. 2. This will allow the lug |8I on y the member 14 to again engage the edge of the vertical portion J||l2 on the member 92 locking said member in the rest position until moved therefrom by the action of the coin on the member 14 on the next returny stroke of the slide, as previously described.

When it is desired to adapt the device for single operation, a-wire hook 98, shown in Figs. 2

and 5, may be employed to hold the lever 92 in the position shown in Fig. 2, the forward offset end of said hook being inserted in an aperture 99 in the bracket 26 and the opposite hooked end thereof being hooked over the lever 92, as shown in Fig. 2. v f

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent ing a coin-receiving opening therein, means operated by said slide upon a full stroke thereof for controlling the operation of the machine, a member adapted to enter said opening to prevent completion of the stroke of the slide in case there is no coin insaid opening, said member being held in non-obstructing position by a coin in the opening, means operable by such coin upon the first chines comprising a reciprocable coin slide havt return stroke of the slide after it has been advanced with a coin therein to lock said member out of action whereby to permit a second forward stroke of the slide without a coin therein, and means operable upon the second return stroke of the slide to cause said locking means to be moved to inoperative position, said member being thereby freed to prevent a further advancing movement of the slide without a coin therein.

2. A device for controlling coin-operated maing a coin-receiving opening therein, means 0perated by said slide upon a full stroke thereof for controlling the operation of the machine, a member adapted to enter said opening to prevent completion of the stroke of the slide in case there is no coin in said opening, said member being heldin non-obstructing position by a coin in the opening, means operable by such coin upon the first return stroke of the slide after it has been advanced with a coin therein to lock said member out of action whereby to permit a second forward stroke of the slide without a coin therein, means operable upon the second return stroke of the slide to cause said locking means to be moved to inoperative position, and means whereby said locking means may be locked in inoperative position to thereby require insertion of a coin for each actuation of the device.

3. A device for controlling coin-operated machines comprising a reciprocable coin slide having a coin-receiving opening therein, means operated by lsaid slide upon a full stroke thereof for controlling the operation of the machine, means for normally obstructing movement of said slide in case no coin has been deposited in said opening, a member controlled by the slide and movable, upon the first operative stroke thereof vafter insertion of a coin, to position to hold said obstructing means out of obstructing position during a further operative stroke of the slide, thus A therein.

4. A device for controlling coin-operated machines comprising a reciprocable coin slide having a coin-receiving opening therein, means operated by said slide upon a full stroke thereof for controlling the operation of the machine, means for normally obstructing movement of said slide in case no coin has been deposited in said opening, a member controlled by the slide and movable, upon the ilrst operative stroke thereof after insertion of a coin, to position to hold said obstructing means out of obstructing position during a further operative stroke of the slide, thus permitting a plurality of operations `of the machine for a single coin, means operable by the slide upon the iinal stroke thus permitted for releasing said obstructing means to permit the same to lock the slide against further operative movement unless another coin has been inserted therein, and means whereby said member may be locked in inoperative position to thereby require insertion of a coin for each actuation of the device.

5. 'I'he combination with a coin-controlled machine including a movable control member, of a coin slide, means operated thereby for moving said control member to a position in which it prevents operation of the machine, and a member for locking said control member in such position, said locking member being movable by the coin upon the return stroke of said slide to cause the same to release said control member, the latter being thereupon movable to a position permitting the machine to be operated.

6. The combination with a coin-controlled pin board game having a sliding board for supporting balls used in the playing of the game in the positions in which they come to rest upon completion of the game, and a control member for blocking the return of the balls to an initial playing position, of a coin slide, means operable thereby upon a forward stroke thereof for moving said board to release said balls and for moving said control member to a position in which it obstructs the balls after being released, thereby preventing their return to said playing position, and a member movable upon the forward movement of the slide to a position in which it locks said control member in such obstructing position, said member being movable by the coin upon the return stroke of the slide to cause the same to release said control member, the latter being thereupon movable to a non-obstructing position permitting the balls to be returned to the playing position.

BERT E. MILLS. 

